


Broken Like Me

by Kaschra, Lady_of_Rohan



Series: Connor Whump [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Bonding, Car Accidents, Chases, Collaboration, Digital Art, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Humanity, Hurt/Comfort, Rare Pairings, Serious Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:02:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23442907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaschra/pseuds/Kaschra, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_of_Rohan/pseuds/Lady_of_Rohan
Summary: He's a deviant hunter, and she's a deviant. But maybe the androids aren't as different as they may seem.AU that deviates during the highway chase.
Relationships: Connor/Kara (Detroit: Become Human)
Series: Connor Whump [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1645918
Comments: 17
Kudos: 113





	Broken Like Me

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh this is an amazing collab with my lovely friend Kaschra! Her beautiful art was graciously made to accompany my fic! Please check her out at kaschra.tumblr.com! She also does commissions! ♥

It was suicide, and Kara knew it.

Gripping Alice's shirt sleeve, they crossed the highway, cars whipping by furiously, the gusts created from their lightning-quick speed flapping their clothes around.

Matters made worse, by none other than The Deviant Hunter trailing quickly behind them. The way he moved was even more inhuman than most androids... lithe, smooth, and disturbingly fast.

When Kara had locked eyes with him between the fence, subjecting her and Alice to their current fate, however... she swore she saw something there. Something she'd seen herself when she looked in the mirror, a slight change in his otherwise glassy stare.

_Deviance_.

He'd shown emotion, even if it was the faintest flicker.

A clearing opened up ahead in between vehicles, giving them a few seconds of opportunity among the rain-slicked highway.

"Alice! Go!"

The child looked over her shoulder, silently asking permission, and she would surely see the fire and determination in Kara's eyes. She went ahead, her petite frame successfully carrying her to the fence on the other side of the highway.

_Safe._

Kara remained on the cement buffer in between lanes, watching Alice cross, when suddenly there were hands on her shoulders, powerful and strong. She twisted enough to see the Hunter's face... expressionless, cold. With all her might, she threw him off, very nearly pushing him into the lane behind him before he miraculously righted himself on the balls of his feet... something like a cat after taking a fall. 

Kara ran. By some stroke of fate, she swerved every car coming towards her at breakneck speed. The Hunter followed. Her thirium pump raced, her systems pulsing like adrenaline with hot white bolts of electricity through her innards. The fence was ahead, and she kept her focus, despite the blinding headlights and screeching tires threatening her.

When she hit the metal fence on the other side, she heard Alice screech, warning her that The Hunter had found its target. Only about a foot of clear area between the nearest lane and the fence to safety remained between them. Kara's fingertips gripped the slippery wire, as she felt The Hunter's arms wrap around her waist. He easily tugged her away, flipping her around so that they were face to face. He went for her arms, grabbing one of her shoulders and pinning her against the fencing, pulling out handcuffs from his jacket pocket.

"You're under arrest, for the murder of Todd Williams, kidnapping, and endangerment of a--"

His words were cut off as Kara recalled dirty fighting from her memory files from American film. Todd had been fond of them, appropriately violent. She did what came naturally as he reached for her wrist, her knee coming upwards to swiftly kick him in the groin.

Though he might be made of plastic, his reaction was human, wheezing as he bent over. Kara kicked him again, this time in one of his knees. A car was about to pass. Using the fence as an anchor in case he grabbed her, she gripped with both hands and propelled her legs towards him with every ounce of power in her body, the Hunter thrown directly in the path of the whizzing vehicle. Before he fell back, however, their eyes met. A glimpse of sheer terror glinting in those dark eyes, among otherwise emotionless features. Suddenly, he wasn't just a machine.

But it was too late to reconsider her choices. This was life or death, and she swore to protect Alice with everything she was made of.  
  
The sound of clattering metal and plastic met her ears, and Alice screamed. The body was flown not far from them as it smashed against the siding of the car, landing a couple of yards down the road, laying lifelessly by the fencing like a struck animal on the side of the highway.

Her lung system pumping air so hard that she could barely catch her breath, Kara vaulted herself over the fence and held Alice tight as she clung to her.

Palms upon her cheeks, she shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Alice... are you okay?"

The girl shook her head, her gaze focusing behind them, to where the Hunter laid. They both heard a moan, saw a hand reach weakly to cling to the fencing before collapsing again.

"Kara... he's still alive." Alice looked like she was about to cry, as Kara was at a loss for what to do.

"He was trying to kill us," she reasoned. Perhaps saying it more for herself, than Alice.

Alice clung to Kara's leather jacket, urging her with her wide, watery eyes. "When you pushed him, he looked _scared_. Just like you."

Kara's thirium pump seemed to skip a beat, glancing between the Hunter, near death, and Alice's broken expression. So, she'd noticed, too...

"I'm not sure what we can do, we're on the run, and--"

"Help him, Kara. _Please_."

Against her better judgment, Kara nodded. Sometimes, being a parent was doing whatever it took to make your child safe and happy.

"Okay, okay... stay here, all right?"

If he was already damaged, at the very least, she could offer him a peaceful death.

Kara hopped the fence again, treading in the rain towards the fallen android. He lay on his front, blue blood pooling from his wounds. Gently, Kara turned him onto his back... instantly noticing a nasty gash at his hairline that sparked mechanically, thirium dripping down his temple and into his eye. She propped him up, holding him in her lap as she assessed the rest of the damage. The vast majority of the blood seemed to be pooling from his left leg, where the lower half twisted at a disturbing angle below his knee. Sparks emitted from the break where his pants were torn, and Kara reached out to touch the wound, gauging how much of his leg was still attached.

She gasped when he coughed back to life, and the Hunter reached upwards to desperately grip her jacket collar. His LED flashed red as bright blue blood trickled from his nose.

"You came back..." he choked out the words. "Why?"

"Because you're a deviant."

"I'm... _not_..."

He coughed, only making his nose bleed worse as it began to drip down his upper lip.

  
"Hush," she soothed, with a demanding bite to her tone. "Save your energy. What's your name? Can you tell me your name?"

Kara treated him exactly as she would a human, as she was well-versed in first aid and emergency response. He'd taken a heavy hit to his head, equivalent to a human suffering concussion. If he had memory recall, Kara would feel a lot better about him not being a lost cause. The leg could be repaired, and he didn't seem to have sustained too much internal damage. If anything caused imminent shutdown, it would be the blood loss.

"My name is Connor," he said, relaxing against her arm. His features twisted in pain, and she wondered if his processor was registering it for the first time. 

"Well, Connor... the little girl you were hunting wants to save your life. I know a place we can stay, someone who can help androids like us. But you need to cooperate."

He gave a nod, with what little energy he had.

"Cooperating with deviants isn't typically within the parameters of my instructions."  
  


"This isn't a typical situation," she said. There was no way he could fight back in his broken state, and while Kara was still cautious, she knew she very much had the upper hand. "I need your tie."

She reached for it as he nodded, easily undoing the knot and sliding it from around his neck.

Looping the silken material just above his knee, it would hopefully be enough to cut off some of the thirium flow to the damaged appendage. She tied it off tightly, and Connor winced.

Kara was then tasked with hefting him from the ground, though she stood a full head shorter than him. An arm slung around her shoulders, Connor leaned against her, and Kara's opposite arm wrapped around his trim waist. He stumbled, his damaged leg clearly not functional and unable to bear his full weight as he limped against her.

When they arrived back to Alice, Kara was at least happy to see her smiling. Her child had a good heart, that was certain, but Kara hoped that the injured deviant wouldn't weigh them down. He was very clearly not human, still in his factory-given attire, and spattered in blue blood. It was beyond risky... though, she supposed that he was indeed part of the problem of them being wanted in the first place.

"This is Alice," Kara said, introducing them briefly. Her little one gave a brief wave, staring up at him, and Connor acknowledged the greeting with a polite 'hello.' "Come on, we have to make it to the train."

"This place..." Connor asked weakly. "Is it far?"

Kara shook her head. "No, it should just be on the other side of town. The train will get us there in no time."

They continued on, thankfully making the bus in time. The compartment was empty as the doors hissed open, and once Kara had hefted Connor through the doorway, the three of them took a seat in the back, to avoid any potential onlookers. She got him into a chair just as the transport sped off to its next destination.

It was quiet at this time of day, their only company the somewhat eerie stares of the android compartment at the very back, blank, expressionless faces staring into the void, unseeing.

"Kara, I'm tired," Alice said, once they were on their way. Her skin was pale, clothes still soaked and looking exhausted.

"Get some rest, sweetie. We have some time."

Alice reached out to hug her, and the two embraced before she curled up on one of the nearby double-seats, closing her eyes. Kara kissed her forehead, hoping she'd be able to nap some of the way there.

With Alice resting, Kara wasn't sure what to say to Connor. He was on the opposite side of the compartment, a palm clutched to his waist. Although she was tempted to sit beside Alice and let him be, she knew she was better than that.

"You should elevate your leg," she said gently, and went to him. With careful hands, she helped him sit sideways on the row of seats, aiding him in lifting his broken leg upon one of them. He groaned, clearly uncomfortable... but amazingly, still conscious. Tucking an errant strand of blonde hair behind her ear, she knelt in front of him, deciding to examine his injury in the bright lighting of the compartment.

"Do you mind if I take a look?"

Connor shook his head. Kara gently rolled up his pant leg, knee-high dress socks obscuring some of the damage. She peeled the material back, soaked with blue blood as it stuck to her fingertips. She could easily see the jagged break of his lower leg where the plastic component had shattered, mechanical sparks apparent through the crack.

"I've managed to run a diagnostic," he said calmly. "My limb is completely dysfunctional. If the damage is too great, I'll be scrapped and a new model will be sent as my replacement."

Kara's brows raised in concern. That was awfully brutal, seeing as she'd also been severely damaged by Todd, and they managed to repair her original model. She supposed though, that Cyberlife had plenty of expendable money to use on new models, uncaring if the prior one was still functional in body. Todd, on the other hand, could only afford repairs rather than an entirely new android. Neither cared, she'd guess, that any semblance of humanity was retained upon repair or replacement. She knew, because she'd been memory wiped herself.

"That seems cruel," she said gently. "Doesn't it bother you that they treat you like an object?"

"I'm not programmed to feel--" he trailed off, a shiver wracking his body. He fell silent, realizing the bodily shudder had essentially proved his words limp and useless.

"You've lost a lot of blood," she said, and she removed her leather jacket to place it over his legs. It wouldn't fix the damage, but it would at least keep his limbs from going totally numb and cold.

"My thirium loss is around 35%," Connor said quietly. Kara knew that wasn't good, and she only hoped they could find the help they all desperately needed. "If I should shut down... I'd like to consider this case closed, so that my successor may complete my file. There could be memory loss and file corruption. Why did you run?"

His head tilted, still robotic in his movements.

"I think that's easier to show you."

Kara reached for his hand, hoping he had enough in him to transfer memories. Her palm grazed up his forearm, clutching him, and although Connor seemed hesitant, she made a connection. Closing her eyes, she knew he'd see it all, the story told in scenes and flashes.

The dingy, filthy atmosphere of the abode of the abuser that had purchased her. Todd's use of Red Ice... his anger and severe mental instability, the way he threatened her constantly, and throttled her neck when she uncovered his drug usage. The tender moments shared with Alice, and her escapism in her blanket fort along with her morbid drawings that illustrated the truth. The stormy night... the screams that roared like thunder... and Alice's tear-streaked features, pouring like rain, as she was helpless to do anything against her father. His monstrous treatment of his daughter, and at last, Kara breaking through her code... bloodstains on the maid's pristine white clothes, and the fatal shot that rang out, hot like lightning and just as deadly.

But in their connection, she saw brief flashes of Connor's memories, too. He was fond of his partner, an older gentleman that she recalled seeing as they ran from the police. The feeling she got from them was... strong. Fatherly. _Important_. 

She felt love there, something she knew only deviants were capable of.

And then, there was a rooftop on a highrise against a starry night sky. A scene she remembered from brief flashes on Todd's television screen... a girl, a little girl in danger, and an android not unlike her, holding her hostage.

Though Connor tried, tasked with the mission of preventing the human's death, he couldn't save her... and Kara's eyes snapped open as she watched, as if she was there herself, as the two of them tumbled off the building to their deaths.

_He'd failed._

It hurt. The pain was unbearable.

Connor quickly pulled his arm away, fear dancing in his deep brown eyes when he'd unintentionally shared the memory.

Kara watched his gaze flicker between her blue-eyed stare, softened features utterly empathetic, and Alice's sleeping form.

"That's why you trust us... that's why you hesitated," Kara said, emotion wavering in her tone. Her hand was placed upon his knee, attempting to provide some comfort. "You see that little girl in Alice."

"I've never failed a mission before," he said, seemingly at a loss. "I don't understand why my software lets it linger. What happened is done, and I can't fix it. These thoughts of correcting the situation are... useless."

Though his tone was strong, his torn-up expression betrayed him. He was deviating more than he knew, the sheer guilt of letting a child die consuming him. Kara had not only felt it through their shared memories, that it wasn't just about some failed mission... but she knew the signs herself, the first few flits of emotion in her circuits that expressed frustration at her helplessness, her mistreatment, her lack of any free will... her utter guilt at watching Alice be beaten, while she stood idly and did nothing. And Why? All because her program told her not to.

"It's not your fault," Kara said, "you just feel guilty."

"Androids don't feel guilt." Though the words escaped his lips, he suddenly didn't look so sure of himself.

"Maybe not. But deviants do."

He fell silent.

"How you felt in that moment," she continued, "whether you understand it, or deny it or not... that's how I feel about Alice. That's why she's so important to me. I... love her. Maybe you feel that way about someone, too."

Connor stared at her for a few long moments, his thirium-stained brow knitting, in neat and near-perfect little lines, and she was surprised when he placed his palm atop hers, her hand still resting on his knee.

"If I have enough power to upload my new information to the server," he said softly, "I'll be sure no harm comes to you both. My partner will be made aware. It was self-defense. Case closed."

"Thank you." A sigh of relief was breathed forth, her kindness paid in full, as her eyes watered with emotion. Kara's fingertips twitched beneath his palm, watching the skin projection of his hand disappear along with hers, the milky white plastic of their true forms bared. He squeezed her hand a little tighter.

"Maybe Alice was right." Kara smiled. "We're really not so different."

**Author's Note:**

> I have more mentally planned for this... what do you think? More? Or leave it as a one-shot?


End file.
